


White Heather and Clove

by honeybunchesofgoats



Category: Free!
Genre: Familiars, M/M, Nature, Superstition, Witch Hunters, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-04-10 17:33:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4401005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeybunchesofgoats/pseuds/honeybunchesofgoats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nitori is a runaway witch because his superstitious village wants him dead.  With witch hunters hot on his trail, Nitori is constantly on the move and in hiding.  He comes across Rin, a fellow witch safe under the disguise of an average villager, and takes Nitori in, despite the risk to his life and danger of revealing his identity.</p>
<p>(I originally <a href="http://17-honey-bunches-of-goats.tumblr.com/post/122827908057/au-where-nitori-is-a-runaway-witch-because-his">drew this au</a>, but decided to start writing it!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I know essentially next to nothing about Wiccan beliefs and I'm just kind of writing this in my own way... I suppose Nitori isn't nesessarily a witch per se, but I suppose that's the word I'll use for lack of a better one.  
> Enjoy!

_Soft sunlight spilled into his room through the small window, illuminating the specks of dust floating aimlessly through the air.  Nitori sat on a small wooden crate, resting his cheek on the sill.  His hand laid limply on the gray, sun-bleached wood, and he watched with mild interest as a brown spider slowly crawled its way over the dirty, chipping flecks of beige paint.  It was the about the size of the silver coins his father was always counting, and its thick legs glowed a translucent muddy red in the sunlight.  He watched the critter approach his fingers and paused for a second before continuing its journey.  Nitori closed his eyes as the spider crawled over his fingers.  It was amazingly light, feeling like nothing at all but a feather tickling his skin ever so gently.  He sighed.  He liked the way it felt; how humbling and comforting it was to feel such a small body, such a small soul to come in contact with him.  To share the same space.  Such an interesting little creature, it was, really, and Nitori opened his eyes to observe its wonder and felt peace wash over him._

Nitori ran his fingers over the thick green leaves that were growing in the garden, fanning out in leafy umbrellas close to the ground.  Lettuce, spinach, kale.  He and Rin grew a variety of greens.  Miku, his familiar, sat upon the perch he'd built.  When he moved in with Rin, Nitori insisted that he needed enough perches around the house and the yard for her, since the crow followed him almost everywhere.  He gripped the base of the leaves and twisted, breaking the stems with a crip _snap_ and placed them in his basket.

_"Aiichirou, what are you doing?"_

_His mother stormed in his room and he lifted his head to look at her, confusion flashing in his blue eyes as her fury poured over him._

_"Don't you dare raise your devil eyes to me!"_

_Nitori averted his gaze and looked away, which left him entirely unprepared for the sharp smack his mother gave him, forcing his head to the side.  His cheek prickled with the sting and his eyes welled up._

_"What are you doing?  What are you doing with that!  That horrid creature!"_

_Nitori looked down to the window sill.  "The spider?"_

_"What were you saying to it?  What were you planning?"_

_Nitori opened his mouth but was at a loss for words.  Saying?  He wasn't saying anything to the spider!  "I-I don't k-know what you mean!  Spiders can't... Spiders can't talk!  I'm not planning anything!"_

"I'm sorry."  Nitori bent his head in a silent apology over the freshly snapped stems sticking out of the dirt.  He knew they would sprout new leaves soon, plants were mighty tough survivors, but he would never take that for granted.  He moved on to the tomato plants, plucking the ripe red fruit from the vine.  "Thank you."

 _"Don't lie to me!  You're a heathen, a heretic, oh Divinity above protect me."  His mother moved her hands, drawing symbols across her chest as she whispered in prayer.  Nitori watched her, familiar with the motions.  He had been raised to believe in the town's religion, after all.  And he_ did _believe it, he did!  But his blue eyes and pale hair scared the townspeople.  His down to earth, blunt personality was strange to them.  He did not fear what they feared, he did not always relate to what they taught.  Spiders weren't little devils, disguised and placed in the fields to torment humans.  They were just a bug, a part of nature.  Nitori saw it for what it was; a tiny soul.  How could no one else feel that connection?_

His favorite activity was tending to their garden.  The smell of wet soil, the insects and spiders building their homes, the plants that glowed translucent green under the sunlight, casting their veins in silhouette.  He could feel the garden vibrate with so much life, it was like sitting in the middle of a busy marketplace, but much more peaceful and precious.  In the garden, Nitori could see the invisible network of life, could feel the order of things.  Everything was as it should be.  He faced the east and bowed his head in prayer.

_"My son, my only son, a witch, a heretic.  Conversing with demons."_

_The spider had crawled down the side of the house and was long gone out of sight.  Nitori slid his hand into his lap and wrung his fingers together, unsure of what to do.  He knew he looked different from everyone else in town.  He's only ever been surrounded by dark eyes and dark hair, never anything like his own.  He didn't know how he ended up looking like he did, but that's just the way he was, and he hated it.  He hated being the only different one.  No other child had ever wanted to play with him, and if they tried, their parents pulled them away and herded them inside, glaring in his direction and holding their hand up in a gesture.  The gesture to ward off evil spirits.  His own mother had shunned him in her own way.  Always saying that she must've been cursed when she was pregnant with him, or that a snake took her real baby away in the night when she was sleeping, and planted Nitori in its place.  His father wouldn't have anything to do with him and ignored him as if he didn't exist.  When he was younger, just learning to talk, he'd crawl up to his father and clutch on his pants leg to pull himself to his small feet, wobbling on unsteady, chubby legs as he stared up with his bright blue eyes.  He'd reach for him, throwing his tiny hand up in the air, his fingers stretching as he giggled and cooed at the man he loved.  Da...da... dadada... da.  His father's face would crease, his lips turned down in a sneer, and without a glance at his son he'd shake his leg, as if he were shaking off a bit of loose paper from his shoe.  Nitori would fall on his bottom and watch his father walk away.  He spent all of his childhood locked away in his room._

"Here, Ai."  Rin handed Nitori the clothes he just shed.  Nitori took the clothing and watched a naked Rin wade into the pond behind their home.  The water rose up over Rin's toned legs and crawled its way higher over the curve of his buttocks and Nitori was mesmerized by the line of the water, bending around Rin's body.  Rin untied his hair and let it fall down his back, a splash of red reaching almost to the water.  Nitori subconsciously rubbed the back of his own head, where his shaved undercut  was starting to grow out.  He'd have to ask Rin to help him trim it.  As Rin began to wash himself, Nitori turned his attention to foraging.  Wildflowers were everywhere, specks of color bursting through the foliage.  He put Rin's clothes in the basket holding the vegetables and got to work tying off bundles containing different combinations of specific types of flowers and herbs with twine.  He would hang these to dry for later use.

_"And what are you doing with these?"  His mother cried as she snatched the flowers he had hung in his window.  "What are you doing, you witch!  Oh, Divinity, Divinity save us."_

_"I... I thought they were pretty!  So I picked them earlier, that's all.  I was drying them to save."_

_His mother whipped around and shook the mangled flowers in his face.  "Only witches pick flowers!"  She spat on the ground before his feet.  "You were going to cast spells with these!  Heresy!  Only Divinity can help one, only prayer can help one!"_

Rin had taught him about the local plants and what they could be used for.  The healing properties of lavender, the medicinal and purifying properties of sage, the antioxidants of rosemary.  He had taught Nitori about his nature.  How Nitori wasn't evil, rather, he had a gift.

_Average people aren't like me and you, Ai.  They can't feel harmony.  They can't feel life.  That feeling drumming through your fingertips when you run them over a surface?  Only people like me an' you can sense it.  They don't know the spells, they don't know what belongs together and what doesn't, they don't know that their very spirits are entwined in the universe.  They are totally unaware of their places._

Nitori wrapped another bundle.  This one had contained wood violets and cosmos, nestled in the heart of a bunch of purple deadnettle.  He would say a prayer over them in Rin's honor and hang them above headboard to Rin's bed.

_Nitori bit his lip.  He felt a surge of something run through him, climbing up his spine.  It was something entirely new, he had never felt such a sensation before, but it felt vaguely familiar, as if he had felt it his entire life but just never noticed.  It felt like the smell of rich soil, the feeling of ripping through thin plant roots.  He could taste the cool wetness of the earth inside his mouth and he rolled the metallic, gritty taste around his tongue.  The urge to spit was great.  The urge to run away, to jump through the window and make for the forest was greater.  He thought back to the spider and wished with all his might he could be that spider, he could just exist at the mercy of the world, the ancient laws that governed the earth since the beginning of times.  Nitori blinked rapidly, trying to clear the feeling, the heavy weight of this new oldness but couldn't shake it.  A sudden squawk make him jump, as he turned to the large crow landing on the windowsill, flapping its wings._

"Everything has a purpose.  Whether its purpose is to reproduce as fast as it can before it becomes another's meal, it is still a purpose.  Every living creature and plant has a soul, no matter how small, and those souls are pure, intertwined with each other, serving their purpose so our universe can continue on."

Nitori recited Rin's lessons to himself under his breath as he wrapped twine around long stems.

"If you are respectful and patient, you will coexist with the universe and your eyes will be opened.  You will reach a higher level of understanding and you will be doing as the universe planned for you.  Don't try to fight it, don't push others away.  You will only blind yourself."

Nitori's voice cracked on the last sentence and looked to the sky.  Miku was circling, her dark silhouette cutting in front of the sun every so often.

"What is my purpose, Rin?  What if part of my soul was ripped away from me?  What then?"

_"And get that devil bird out of here!  Stop calling these demons to my home!  Get out!  Get out!"_

_His mother threw the nearest object, one of Nitori's pillows, at the window, but the crow wasn't deterred.  It crowed louder and flew in the room to Nitori's shoulder and crouched, fluffing its feathers up defensively at Nitori's mother.  The woman screamed and ran out of the room, calling for her husband._

_Nitori looked over to his crow and studied the one beady eye he could see.  "Do you feel that?"  His voice was soft and scared.  "Inside of me.  I can feel something different."  Miku was still puffed in agitation and staring at the bedroom door where his mother had fled out of.  She hopped to the windowsill and cawed then flew around his head, batting him with her wings before settling back on his shoulder, cawing again.  She was distressed._

Rin's familiar, a black cat named Sharktooth, rubbed her head against Nitori's knee.  Miku cawed and swooped down at the cat, sending her running off with her tail held high.

"Not nice, Miku."

The crow took off to return to the skies and Nitori sighed, placing his last flower bundle in his basket.  He got up and walked along the pond's edge leisurely, balancing the basket on his hip and shielding his eye from the sun with his free hand.

"Oi, love, come join me!"

Nitori laughed and shook his head, his tied hair hitting the sides of his face.  "I've got to go inside and start cooking, Rin."

Rin ducked under the water and swam closer to land, then stood up in the shallow water, holding out his hand.  "Come on, just for a little bit, Ai.  It's hot out."

_Nitori heard angry cries rise up in town and he looked out his window but couldn't see anything.  Miku flapped her wings and flew to the windowsill and back to his shoulder, then back to the windowsill.  The feeling in his spine was still there and the taste in his mouth was growing stronger and an overwhelming intuition told him he needed to run, get out now and get out fast.  Nitori's eyes scanned his room and he spotted his satchel.  He snatched it up and threw in the most important items he thought he would need, and then climbed out his window, Miku fluttering around him.  As soon as he was outside, she flew high, soaring across the sky and Nitori ran, following her.  He ran as fast as he could, his lungs burning, his mouth feeling like it was too full of his saliva, and he knew he was going to choke, choke on the muddy thick spit.  He stopped and bent over, spitting out globs and dry heaving.  He coughed and gasped, his sweaty palm losing its grip on his knee and he jerked forward, almost toppling over._

How could he say no to Rin?  Nitori huffed and placed the basket down and unwrapped the scarf from around his head and shoulders.  "Fine.  But only to cool off.  Then I have to make us dinner."  He stepped out of his sandals and shimmied out of his pants, placing them on top of a nearby rock.  Rin grinned triumphantly as Nitori took his first steps into the water.  As soon as Nitori's hand touched Rin's outstretched one, Rin pulled him close and wrapped him in his arms, easing them both into the water.

"Dinner can wait, love."

Rin kissed the corner of his mouth and Nitori smiled, reaching up to brush a dark red strand off of Rin's forehead.

"I suppose it can.  But now you're going to have to help me, so we can eat before sunset."

Rin swam backwards, propelling them lazily through the water, his long hair enveloping them, floating and twisting around them in an underwater halo.

"I think I can handle that."

_"He's over here!  He's over here!"  Cries got louder and Nitori's heart picked up pace.  His eyes darted around looking for an escape route, but nothing was there, he was being closed in on, he was being pulled by his elbows, he was being dragged down the road, his heels leaving two pathetic dirt tracks in his wake._

_"He tried to curse me with his eyes!  Cut them out!  Cut them out!"_

"You're so pretty."

Nitori looked away at Rin's declaration, hiding the right side of his face from view.  Rin leaned forward and pressed his lips to Nitori's wet skin and held him close.

"You don't believe me."

it wasn't a question.  He did not want to lie to Rin, and it was true, Nitori never believed him when Rin told him things like this.  Nitori closed his eye and shook his head.

"Well, I suppose I can't change your mind about yourself but," Rin kissed his temple, "I think you're beautiful.  And I'll remind you every day.  You need to know that someone sees you for who you are and can see the purity and goodness of your soul underneath your scars and toughened exterior.  I see who you are, love.  And you're beautiful."

_Nitori came back to his senses at the sound of his mother's voice and panicked, trying to struggle free, but he was slammed down on a flat surface, the town alter he realized with horror, and held in place.  Strong hands grabbed his chin and he tried to shake his head free, turning side to side and biting anything that he could reach, but to no avail.  A fist knocked into his temple and he saw a flash of white light that faded into shimmering stars, spotting across his vision.  Hands, so many hands, hot flesh, bony fingers, sharp nails.  Pressing into his skin, holding him in place.  Nitori swallowed, fear bubbling up his throat and he felt his windpipe constrict as his chest heaved.  Miku flew in circles above him, way high in the sky and a shadow fell over him, blocking her from view.  Before he could register what was happening, a blade sliced through his bottom eyelid and his face was on fire.  His face was being crushed, the pressure of a thousand stones being forced into his eye socket as the knife carved.  Nitori screamed as red was all he could see, and he thrashed as hard as he could but couldn't get away.  He couldn't escape from the hot, searing pain of the blade, couldn't give in to his body's kneejerk reaction to recoil from the threat.  He screamed until his lungs felt like they were bleeding, he screamed until it felt like the blade was running down his throat, he screamed until he was coughing up blood and spraying it out of his nose with each exhale.  In reality, it took about 10 seconds to cut his right eye out, but it felt like an eternity.  Of course, the pain didn't stop once the eye was removed, no, it grew stronger and stronger from the moment the blade cut through flesh._

Nitori looked at Rin, turning his head so their noses bumped.  Tears fell down the left side of his face and he shuddered out a breath, looking down at the water in shame.  He flinched when he felt Rin's thumb run gently along the twisted scar that slashed across his face where his right eye used to be.

"Rin, don't--"

Rin's hand fell away.  "I'm sorry."

Nitori shook his head.  "No, I'm sorry.  I'm sorry, Rin.  I'm sorry, sorry sorry..."

 _By some miracle, he got his head free from its prison, his muscles running on autopilot as his head flew side to side, slipping through grappling fingers and clawing fingernails.  He heard angry squawks and felt a flurry of feathers and sharp claws, but Nitori could hardly focus as he thrashed and thrashed, his surroundings fading as his thoughts zeroed in on one thought._ Get out _. He raise his chest against the weight on him, trying to push away the bodies, and kicked his legs as wildly as he could.  He rocked his shoulders side to side trying to pull his arms free, clenching his jaw and screaming high in the back of his throat, the coppery taste of blood gurgling and bubbling through the cracks in his gritted teeth.  The world was black.  Nitori couldn't see through the blinding pain, his remaining eye only offering him flashes of light, glimpses of the sky.  Hitting the ground knocked the wind out of his abused body, but he forced himself to his feet and stumbled forward, scrambling away as fast as he could from grasping, violent hands.  He took off down the dirt road, never stopping to breathe, never stopping to rest, never stopping to see where he was going.  He ran and ran and ran until he knew he was far away and no one would follow him.  And then, Nitori allowed himself to collapse._

Rin helped Nitori out of the water and wrapped a his scarf around Nitori's shoulders.  He leaned forward, gathering his long hair over one shoulder and wrung it out, flipping it back behind him as he straightened up.  Nitori ran his fingers through the long, red locks and separated any tangles he found and made sure none of the braids Rin liked to wear came undone.  Nitori then removed his own hair ties, ruffling out the tufts of hair on either side of his face so it could dry properly.

"Let's go, love."  Rin had pulled his pants on and helped Nitori into his own pair.  Propping the basket on his hip, Nitori followed Rin back to their house, where Miku and Sharktooth waited for them.  The crow flew to Nitori, landing on his head.  That was her favorite spot when Nitori cooked, because she always got some scraps.  Rabbit was her favorite.

"Rin, could you hang these bundles as I wash the vegetables?"

Nitori placed the basket down on their table and started unloading their haul.  Sharktooth jumped up and sniffed curiously, shooting Miku a glance when the bird cawed at her.  Rin picked up a flower bundle and inspected it.

"Interesting combination... What's on your mind?"

Nitori turned around and saw the bundle Rin was holding.

"I made that one for you.  I'm going to bless it and hang it over your bed."

Rin swallowed and turned the bundle around his fingers.

"Faithfulness, order, harmony... _Ai._ "

Nitori was scooped up into an embrace, much to Miku's dismay, and he couldn't help but smile as Rin buried his face into his neck.  Rin pulled away when Miku pecked at his hair, pulling out strands.

"Ah, fuck.  Knock it off, Miku."  The crow tilted it's head at Rin, looking at him with one little eye.

"It's how I feel," Nitori patted his heart, "You've shown me so much, more than I ever thought I'd see.  And because of you, I understand so much.  I'm still trying to find my place in the universe, but one place I am sure I belong , the one thing I am not blinded to; that I am forever yours."

" _Love_."

Rin's eyes watered and he pressed his lips to Nitori's, ignoring Miku's pecks and squawks.

"And maybe... Maybe one day I'll be able to believe you when you tell me what you think of me.  That I won't think you're lying and I'll believe that my face and defiled soul doesn't deter you--"

"Has it ever?  It's not defi--"

" _And_ maybe one day I'll be able to repeat what you say, and tell it to myself in a mirror with pure, genuine honesty and believe myself.  Maybe one day I will realize my purpose."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada I actually have plans for this story!

_Nitori opened his eye when he felt something cold and wet lightly press against his cheek.  A black cat had found Nitori's sleeping form, hidden away in long grass on the edge of the forest, and was sniffing his face._

_"Oh, hello..."_

_Nitori sat up and rubbed his eye, then looked down at the cat who looked back up at him and meowed, her white, sharp teeth standing out against her dark fur.  She rubbed her chin against Nitori's knee and purred as Nitori pet behind her ears._

"Ai, we need to leave _now_."

Rin was rushing around their little cottage, throwing blankets and clothes in packs.  Nitori woke up slowly, groaning at the candlelight, and rolled over to go back to sleep.

"Ai.  Wake up, we need to leave."  Nitori heard footsteps approach the bed and then he was being shaken awake.  "This is fucking important.  Wake up."

_Nitori walked through the woods, keeping parallel to the road but staying hidden and out of sight to any travelers.  He had been on the run for over a week since his village tried to blind him, and he had passed along the outskirts of four towns.  Unfortunately, word traveled faster and farther than he did, and he saw flyers demanding his capture.  With every step he prayed he would find a town that didn't know his name._

_The black cat had been following him for some time and was nice company, although Miku didn't seem to be too fond of sharing Nitori's attention with another creature.  She flew from branch to branch keeping a close watch on them, sometimes landing on Nitori's shoulder to voice her opinion of the cat._

_"Shush Miku, we can't let anyone know we're here."  Especially since he was sure hunters were on his trail._

_Miku flapped her wings and broke through the canopy to take to the skies, soaring and circling, writing her spite across the blue.  Nitori shook his head and adjusted the bundle of cloth pressed to his empty eye socket, wincing.  He needed to find someone to help him, fast.  And that fact sat like a heavy rock at the bottom of Nitori's stomach._

Nitori sat up, awake now, and looked at Rin.  "What's going on?"

"Hunters came into the village sometime in the night.  We need to get out of here."

Dread settled in the pit of Nitori's stomach and seeped slowly into his heart, like old bread soaking up water in the kitchen sink.  He opened his mouth to speak, but all he could taste was fear, cold and sopping, and his spit felt textured, too thick.  Soggy bread in a damp sink.

"Sousuke informed me.  He sent Momo so he wouldn't attract attention to us, but he's waiting for us at the church.  He's going to help us escape."

Rin rummaged through their medicine and herbs basket, picking out the most important ones.  "Fuck.  We're gonna have to be really careful to cover our tracks.  It will be obvious to anyone who comes here that we hurried up and left."

_A sharp meow made Nitori stop walking and turn around.  The cat stood a few feet behind him, staring at him with her wide, amber eyes and twitching her tail.  Nitori knew enough about animals to know when they were telling him something.  He looked around nervously, immediately afraid of potential danger or hunters.  He took a step towards the cat and she meowed again before turning around and taking a few strides, stopping to see if Nitori was following._

_"I'm sorry, but that's where we just came from!  I have to keep moving, I can't go back that way."_

_The cat voiced her protest once again and trotted forward before turning to look at Nitori.  Nitori pressed his lips into a thin line and decided that perhaps he should trust this cat.  She seemed to know where to go, whereas Nitori was wandering aimlessly.  This cat could be the guidance he sought.  He let out a short, loud whistle and a few seconds later Miku landed in the tree branches above him._

_"We're going this way now."_

_Nitori went to follow the cat and as soon as she realized he was complying, she took off running._

_"Hey!  Wait!  I can't move as fast as you!"  Nitori pushed away branches and tried to keep his feet from getting tangled in vines.  Miku squawked and took off after the cat.  "You, too?!  I can't keep up with these animals."_

_With each step, his eye socket throbbed, the pain radiating out across his face and deep into his skull.  He pressed the cloth harder against his mangled flesh and prayed that running wouldn't tear anything open further.  When Nitori thought he couldn't take the pain any longer, when he was just about to give up, he stumbled into a clearing of tall grass.  He looked around until his eye landed on the tip of a black tail weaving through the grass and then he ran after it.  After following the cat a few minutes through the overgrown field and around the edge of a pond, Nitori found himself standing in front of a small cottage, half hidden in the trees on the edge of the forest._

"Rin, wait."  Nitori had a hard time keeping up with Rin, who had a longer stride.  Rin turned around and held his finger to his lips, but took Nitori's hand nonetheless.  They were still protected by darkness, but the sun was starting to make its way nearer to the horizon, and each passing minute shed more light on them.  They made it to the church as sunlight was stretching its warm fingers across the sky, painting streaks of soft, morning light across the face of the tall, stone building.  Miku landed on the pointed steeple of the church, watching as Rin banged his fist on the heavy, wooden doors.  Nitori looked over his shoulder nervously, afraid of being in the heart of the village where anyone could see him.  As far as the village knew, Rin was the local healer, a doctor with herbal and all natural remedies, and Nitori didn't exist.  Not everyone was too fond of Rin; many were wary of someone trying something new, but he was under Sousuke's protection.  And everyone trusted and respected the village's priest.  A few people had left their homes and were starting to set up shop in the village, but it was a lazy, quiet energy and no one was close enough to the church to pay them any attention.  Nitori turned around when the door opened.  Sousuke was a tall, huge man, his face creased with age and wisdom, and he was the type of intimidating authority one would expect from a man of Divinity.  He had dark hair just like everyone else in this village, aside from Rin and Nitori, but his eyes were a piercing blue.  He claimed he was saved and given the sight of Divinity, hence their color, and no one challenged him on his story, because he was the priest, of course his story was very much true.

Sharktooth darted between his legs and ran inside, meowing urgently.  Sousuke ushered them inside and was about to shut the door when Miku dove through last minute.  She landed on Nitori's shoulder and fluffed up her feathers, daring Sousuke to voice any sort of protest.  Instead, he nodded his head and walked down the aisle between the rows of pews, towards the alter.  Sharktooth padded alongside him, frequently looking up at Sousuke and meowing.

"What did you hear, Sousuke?  Do you know who they are?"

Rin was at Sousuke's heels as the priest led them through a door off the side of the alter and down stone steps to the priest's quarters.

"Iwatobi Clan.  You've got Nanase, the most skilled and elusive hunter in the lands, and his protégé, Hazuki.  Hazuki is clever and cunning, don't let him fool you, because he's a master of manipulation.  Then there is Ryugazaki, who I don't know much about.  And they have Tachibana, their designated priest."

Rin placed his rucksack down by the foot of Sousuke's bed and nodded.  Nitori swallowed and looked down at the floor.  Nanase was known across the villages.  Although he was rarely seen, he was the best hunter out there, dedicated and utterly obsessed with his passion.  He was an unstoppable force and he was in this village _right now_.  Nitori grabbed onto Rin's sleeve, feeling faint.

"Hey, love, it's okay.  We'll come up with a plan to escape.  We won't let them get us."

_The cat ran through the cottage's open door and a moment later returned to Nitori with a young man following in her wake.  Nitori looked up at the man in amazement.  He had never seen a person with hair such a shade of red before.  The man rushed over to him and caught him as he collapsed, too weak to hold himself up anymore._

_"Whoa, hey, what happened to you?"_

_Up close Nitori could see the man's eyes were a shimmering amber, dark pools of translucent reds and oranges that complimented his odd red hair._

_"My eye."  Nitori let the bloody rag he was holding to his face fall and Rin gasped.  "They cut out my eye."_

_"Who did?"_

_Nitori didn't know if he could trust this person, even if he looked different like him.  "Who are you?"_

_The man started walking them to his cottage.  "My name is Rin.  I'm a witch like you.  It's okay."_

_Nitori pulled away and shook his head, staring at Rin in horror.  A witch?  But they didn't exist!  Those were just lies that his village spewed to point fingers at people who were different!_

_"No... No I'm not, you're wrong.  I've never cursed anyone a-and I've always prayed to Divinity even when my parents wouldn't let me go to the town's church.  Witches aren't real!  You're... You're just calling me that cause I don't look like everyone else!"_

_Rin raised his eyebrow.  "And do I look like everyone else?"_

_Nitori shook his head.  A flap of wings and a squawk later, Miku sat on Nitori's shoulder.  Rin motioned to her._

_"And she's just a pet crow that follows you everywhere, right?_ Totally _normal."_

_Nitori grit his teeth but didn't feel strong enough to rebut his banter.  "I need to sit down."_

_Rin helped him up the porch step into the house and sat him on a chair at the small kitchen table.  Nitori looked around at the cluttered, but organized home.  There were shelves of books lining the walls, pots and pans hanging from the ceiling beams, dried flowers and herbs in the kitchen window, strange beads and feathers and bits of animal bones accented any available surface.  No window sill or side table was left bare.  The feeling he felt back when he ran away from his home was back, not only inside of him, but buzzing all around him._

_"First thing first.  Witches are real.  I don't necessarily like the term witch, but that's the most universally known word for what we are.  We can get into more detail about this after I fix your eye."_

_"What are you going to do?"_

_Rin placed a pot on the stove and scooped water into it from a large basin.  He struck a match, or at least Nitori thought he did, he couldn't really see anything in Rin's fingers, and lit the stove, placing some more small sticks into the small fire pit under the burner._

_"We need to clean out your wound.  I'm boiling some water to make a saline mix, you know, water and salt from the ocean, and then we need to stitch you up."_

_"W-what?"_

_"What, you think I'm going to let you suffer?  It's already infected.  You'll die from this kind of wound."_

_Miku settled down on his shoulder, leaning slightly towards his head.  Nitori closed his eye, feeling comforted by the bird._

_"What's her name?"_

_"Miku.  She came to me when I was 11."_

_"She's your familiar.  I've got Sharktooth over there," Rin nodded towards the black cat, "She came to me when I was 9.  How old are you now?"_

_"17.  How old are you?"_

_"20.  You know she won't die until you do.  She'll stay with you as long as your soul is on this earth."_

_Nitori looked at Miku, who looked back at him with her shiny, black eye.  "If you're right, then that's good.  I don't want Miku to ever leave me."_

_"She can't.  Her soul is tied to yours."_

"Momo, get the alter ready for morning gathering."

Momo was Sousuke's assistant.  The first time Nitori saw Momo he knew the boy was like him and Rin.  Momo had bright orange hair and yellow eyes, and he was all too eager to show Nitori and Rin his familiar, a snake he called Moriko.  Sousuke took Momo in when he came across him wandering in the woods looking for bugs and other small critters, a skinny little thing covered in dirt.  Sousuke didn't know Momo's full back story, but he knew that Momo had an older brother who Momo hadn't seen since he was a small boy. _Siejuro left me in the woods one day and told me that I couldn't go in the villages.  He looked really scared and big brother never gets scared so I promised to listen.  Then I found Moriko and we lived in the woods together until you found us._   When asked how he survived alone in the woods as a small child, Momo would shrug and state that living close to the earth came natural to him.  Sousuke was always on the lookout for anyone by the name of Seijuro, a possible witch, but he never heard anything.  The town accepted the odd child, only because Sousuke told them the truth; that he found this lost child in the woods in need of Divinity, and who was he to turn him away?  So with Sousuke's word, the town let Momo in, and he took immediately to being the church's little helper, despite of his sacrilegious looks.  Of course, no one knew about his true nature and if they found out about a snake being kept in the very house of Divinity, hell would break loose.

Momo rushed off, heading Sousuke's command.

"You two stay down here until after the gathering.  Then we'll figure out what to do.  We don't know where the Iwatobi Clan is in the village, and none of the villagers know they're here, so they could be anywhere.  I'll keep a close look out while I'm upstairs.  Stay alert at all times and don't make any noise."  Sousuke rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a bell.  "However, we have to be prepared for anything that could happen during the gathering."

Sousuke grabbed some twine and climbed to the top of the stairs where he tied the bell to the door's latch.  "If anyone opens the door, the bell will ring.  Momo and I will announce that we're coming down so if you only hear the bell and nothing else, it's not us.  Under the bed there's a door in the floor.  Open it.  It's a tunnel that will lead to outside the church if you must escape."

With that, Sousuke opened the door and left to begin his morning gathering, letting the door shut behind him with a small jingle.  Rin and Nitori stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up at the small bell until it stopped moving.

"Okay.  We open that trap door just in case."

Nitori turned his head as Rin walked by him and towards the bed.  With one last glance up to the door, Nitori followed him into Sousuke's quarters and watched Rin crawl under the bed as he wrung his hands nervously.  With a grunt, Rin lifted the door and slid it back.

"Oi, it's pretty dank in this tunnel.  All dirt and narrow.  Gonna suck if we have to use it."  Rin shuffled out from under the bed and sat up on his haunches.  "I say we actually stay under the bed with our bags as a precaution until Sousuke comes back.  We really can't take any risks."

Nitori bit his lip and nodded and began to gather their bags together.  They both scooted under the bed, laying flat on their stomachs.  Nitori whistled and Miku landed on the floor in front of him.  "We need to stay low so be quiet.  If we have to leave, no fussing when I grab you."  The light caught Miku's eye as she tilted her head.  Sharktooth jumped off the bed and landed in front of them, causing Miku to flap her wings and hop to the side.  The black cat crawled under the bed and settled down between them, tucking her legs underneath her body and yawning.  Voices came from above them as the morning gathering began, and then they could hear Sousuke's deep voice addressing the townspeople.

_The pain was unreal.  Nitori felt as if he were reliving the nightmare of having his eye carved out, only instead of sharp fingers crushing his face in their grip, warm fingertips brushed along his skin as his wound was slowly and meticulously sewn up.  Tears rolled down the left side of his face and his teeth grinded into the cloth Rin gave him, which he bit down on and muffled his screams into._

_"Almost done.  Just a few more stitches."_

_Nitori exhaled through his nose and willed himself to stay conscious.  The cool side of a knife's blade brushed his brow as Rin cut the thread, then Rin pulled away and started closing up his sewing kit._

_"Still with me?  Here, drink some water.  I'm going to get the saline and clean cloth for one more cleansing."_

_NItori's hands shook as he held the glass and more water spilled down his chin than into his mouth, but the cool liquid was a relief against his burning throat and churning stomach.  The entire right side of his face was on fire but it felt as if a weight was lifted from his chest.  He didn't have to worry about slowly dying from infection or blood loss, he could start to heal under the careful watch of his new companion, who Nitori had decided he trusted.  If this wound didn't kill him, Nitori would be loyal to Rin for the rest of his life._

It seemed that the gathering went on _forever_ , and Nitori began to feel too hot and cramped under the bed.  Rin was a living furnace, his body heat almost unbearable in the close quarters, and the sound of both their breathing was starting to drive Nitori insane.  The more he tried to focus on staying still and calm, the more he wanted to fidget and scream.  Miku had been keeping herself busy hopping around the floor and picking at crumbs.  At one point, Moriko had slithered over to her, flicking her tongue out to taste the air, then coiled up near the bed.  Miku sat on the snake, using her as a makeshift nest, until Moriko decided she wanted to leave, slithering off to some hidden nook.  Rin started to doze, Nitori was too nervous and uncomfortable to, but his eyes flew open when the bell on the door clanked.  It wasn't a full ring, it was so soft they almost could have missed it, but it still had unmistakably sounded.  There weren't many voices above them in the church, it sounded as if the gathering had moved outside as it ended.  Nitori grabbed Miku, pulling her under the bed and Rin held his finger to his lips as he slowly dragged their rucksacks and lowered them into the tunnel, which was about three feet deep then gradually declined deeper and deeper under the church.

"Nagisa, shush."

"I'm just saying!  Why would there be a bell on the door if there was no one down here?"

"Perhaps the priest takes comfort in knowing if someone were to open the door in the middle of the night.  There are other logical explanations."

"I don't think so.  I think he's down here."

"Be quiet, Nagisa, you're not being stealthy at all."

Rin froze and Nitori held his breath.  Even Miku stayed still.  The hunters' steps were silent as they descended the stairs and Nitori watched as two sets of feet appeared in his range of vision.  The hunters wore black boots with thin soles made out of soft material that muffled their movement.  Nitori felt Rin's hand close around his arm and as silently as he could, he slowly lowered himself into the tunnel, laying on his back so he could scoot his way down to the decline.  Before he disappeared completely inside, he motioned for Nitori to follow.  Nitori held Miku close to his chest and shuffled backwards to the tunnel, letting Rin's hands ease him into it.  It was cramped and difficult to move under the bed and with each movement he made, it sounded deafening to Nitori, although it was barely louder than a feather falling.

"He doesn't seem to be here, Nagisa.  We have to leave before we're noticed."

"Calm down, Rei, you're always so uptight.  I'm sure the priest would understand if he caught us.  He's a man of Divinity after all."

"That's not the point, it can't be known that we're here at _all_.  If anyone catches wind, word travels.  Than the witch could go on the run."

"Ah, Rei, you silly, silly man.  We're always one step ahead, so stop worrying."

"N-Nagisa, don't _do_ that right now!"

The hunter named Nagisa giggled as Nitori fully lowered himself in the tunnel.  The two of them slowly inched their way down for what seemed like hours but in reality was only a handful of minutes, until the tunnel dropped off into a wider, stone tunnel where they could stand.  Rin reached up and helped Nitori slide down, and Nitori couldn't help but cling to Rin in the pitch black, too scared to even brush the dirt off that covered him head to toe.  He couldn't see ­an inch in front of him and with one hand he clutched Miku to his chest and with the other he held onto Rin's sleeve like a lifeline.  Once their packs were slung over their shoulders,  Rin felt along the wall and took slow steps, guiding the two of them forward.  He stopped and Nitori tugged on his sleeve, silently asking what was wrong.

"They're still in the quarters,"  Rin's voice was a whisper, "They're searching through Sousuke's belongings and looking for hiding spots.  We have to hurry.  They're going to find the tunnel soon."

"How do you know?"

If Nitori could see in the dark, he'd have caught the look Rin threw him over his shoulder.  "I'm looking through Sharktooth."

" _What?"_

Rin resumed leading them along, picking up their pace.  "You never look through Miku's eyes?"

"What are you talking about?  I can't do that!"

"Of course you can."

Nitori was quiet.  Now was not the time to argue.  They walked in silence until the ground started to gradually incline, and they fell into a run, stumbling through the dark.  They came to the end of the tunnel and met a wall, but upon pressing their hands to it they discovered planks of wood bolted to it functioning as a ladder.

"Stay here, let me go up."  Rin climbed until he reached the top, feeling around the wooden ceiling for a way out.  With a little prodding he felt the wood give and he pushed it up, blinking when sunlight assaulted his eyes and dirt showered onto his face.  He pushed until there was a big enough gap, then he stuck his head out to look around.  Woods, they were in the woods.  Good.  He climbed down and took Nitori's rucksack from him and helped him climb the first couple of ladder rungs.  Nitori never felt so grateful for sunlight in his life and he let Miku fly out of the tunnel, but to his surprise she didn't take off.  She sat at the top and waited for him, flapping her wings and hopping side to side.  Nitori looked behind him and almost lost his footing when he saw Rin's eyes clouded over.  Rin seemed to be in a trance, standing still and unblinking.  It lasted a couple of tense seconds before he shook his head and blinked.

"Sharktooth is making her way to us. They found the tunnel."

Nitori climbed up to the opening, grabbing onto small forest brush to pull him out.  He knelt for a minute to catch his breath then looked down the tunnel.

"Rin, come on!"

"Wait."

Nitori bit his lip and looked around, paranoia making his nerves spike.  Rin finally climbed up, Sharktooth draped over his shoulder, half perched on their packs on Rin's back.  The cat hopped off as soon as she was level with the ground.  Nitori helped pull Rin out and then immediately they pulled the wooden door back in place.  Rin grabbed a good sized rock and put it on top.

"Help me cover this."

As fast as they could, they piled rocks on top of the door.  "I think this is good enough.  It will at least buy us some time. We need to go."

Nitori nodded, then the two of them were off, running through the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shanks for reading


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am enjoying this au way too much. The format's kind of different... No more flashbacks for the most part. But we do get more back stories!

"What's going to happen to Sousuke?"  Nitori sat against the wall of a cave, wrapped in a heavy blanket and pressed against Rin's side.  Sharktooth was curled up in Rin's lap and Miku was perched on Nitori's shoulder, sleeping.

"I believe he'll be able to talk his way out of it.  There's no proof that we were there other than the tunnel door being opened, but he could claim that it is what it is; a secret tunnel that he can use to escape if someone attacks him or the church.  It's amazing how the truth will sate people's suspicions."

"But what about the rocks we piled on the door?"

"I'm sure he knows how to play dumb convincingly enough and assert that it was done without his knowledge.  Sousuke's an intimidating guy.  And his word is strong.  He's a priest, after all."

Nitori blinked in the dark and rested his head on Rin's shoulder.  "How did you become so close to a priest, anyway?  Shouldn't Sousuke want you dead on principle?"

Rin chuckled.  "He should, according to Divinity's faith and preaching.  But a long time ago, when Sousuke was still training to be a priest, he found himself in a predicament.  He fell in love with my sister."

"You have a sister?"

"Ah, yeah.  Or at least I think I still do.  I haven't seen her in a very long time."  Rin brushed his thumb over Nitori's knuckles.  "I have no idea where she is or if she's still alive."

"...What happened to her?"

Rin sighed.  "Well, the story goes like this.  One night, our parents woke me and my sister, Gou, when the moon was at its highest point.  They gave us packed bags, wrapped scarves around our heads and necks, and told us to run.  We listened.  My sister and I ran all night until we arrived in this town as soon as the sun was rising.  The scarves were to cover our hair, we realized, so no one would know what we were.  We were children and didn't know where to go, so we went to the town's church, even though we knew the church was our greatest enemy.  That's where we met Sousuke.  He was older than us, but he was immediately smitten with Gou, and easily convinced the priest to take us in.  It didn't take long for her to return his feelings, and as she grew older, they became more serious, spending all their time together.  He would read her verses from the preaching book, and she would tell him about wild herbs and what not.  Their love was forbidden, naturally.  She was a witch, although he didn't know that, and he was a priest, and both would be in trouble if they were found out.  Even if Gou wasn't a witch, Sousuke was risking a lot by being with her.  I guess you could say from the get-go Sousuke never really followed the rules.  But he's a man of Divinity, don't let that fool you.  He's just a little more down to earth than most.  After living in the church for six years, hunters showed up.  We knew they were here for us and decided that we had to leave.  Naturally, Gou couldn't leave without saying farewell to Sousuke, but by doing that, she ultimately had to reveal her identity to him."  Rin laughed.  "You should have seen his face when he saw her long red hair for the first time.  But to our surprise, he didn't get angry.  Instead he offered to hide us.  I agreed to stay, but Gou wasn't willing to take the risk, so she left.  And that's the last time Sousuke and I saw her."

The silence that followed Rin's story was heavy, and when Nitori tried to speak, he realized his throat was dry.

"So... So she could still be out there?"

Nitori felt Rin shrug.  "Maybe, but it's not likely.  We had found out not soon after arriving in this town that our father was hanged and our mother was burned at the stake.  We were a family of witches, trying to live in secret but were torn apart in the end.  Ai, I don't want hunters to tear us apart.  I can't let them take you from me too.  Look, they already pushed us away from Sousuke, I can't let them do this to us."

"I won't let them take me from you, Rin,"  Nitori squeezed Rin's hand, "There's no way.  If they catch us and we have to die, we're dying together."

"No, Ai, your survival is--"

"Rin, I don't want to hear it.  If you won't let them take me from you, then I'm not letting them take you from me!  We either both survive, or we both die.  And I really don't want to die, Rin.  Not after you've shown me so much about this beautiful world."

Rin sighed.  "I don't want to die either."

"Then we won't give up.  We'll keep running and we'll survive together, no matter what, okay?"

Rin placed a kiss on Nitori's forehead.  "No matter what, love."

* * *

Since he was a small boy, Haruka felt trapped.  It all started when he met a boy named Kisumi.  Kisumi had taken a liking to Makoto, Haruka's best and only friend, and Makoto being the sweetheart he was, accepted Kisumi into their circle.  A quiet boy in general, Haruka didn't feel compelled to be social with other children, and Kisumi was no exception to this sentiment.  Haruka didn't like the boy.  He had strange, pale hair and he loved to hang on Makoto's shoulder and he always looked at Haruka with a glint in his eyes that made it hard to breathe.  No, Haruka didn't like Kisumi at all.  He didn't like the way Kisumi made Makoto laugh, the way Kisumi would pick flowers for him and Makoto, the way Kisumi made Haruka's ribs feel like they were too tight, they way the mere sound of Kisumi's name made bile rise up his throat.  There was something incredibly odd about the boy and Haruka wanted nothing to do with him.  Unfortunately, Kisumi wanted everything to do with Haruka.  He always talked to Haruka about topics that the church had declared sacrilege like drying flowers or keeping little animals and bugs as pets.  He would ramble on and on excitedly until Makoto came over or until Haruka walked away.

One fateful day, Haruka realized what had him held hostage, what prevented him from ever being free from the dark clouds in his soul.  It was Kisumi's doing.  Kisumi had dragged him off to a pond, laughing and carefree like most 8 year olds were ought to be, and flopped down in the long grass circling the edge of the water.

_Haru, you're always so grumpy!_

Kisumi had cupped his hands and dipped them under the water, scooping some into his palms and held it up to Haruka, who stood staring down at the boy.

_Well, don't just stand there, take it!_

Haruka had narrowed his eyes and reached out, not sure how he was supposed to take the water from him, but his concerns were cut short when the water rippled in Kisumi's hands.  Haruka froze and watched as it jumped and sloshed in the most unnatural way, defying any laws of Divinity that ruled the earth.

_Go on, take it!_

Kisumi's smile had irked something inside of Haruka, and he pressed his lips into a line and let his fingers dip into the sloshing water.  As soon as his skin touched the surface the water had stopped suddenly becoming completely still as if it were frozen over.  It had shuddered, as if it had sighed, and then slowly, water droplets started to crawl up Haruka's fingers.  Kisumi had gasped and smiled, but Haruka didn't notice, he could only gape in horror as the water rolled up his hand onto his wrist up along his forearm.  Haruka would never forget the sensation that took over his body.  It were as if lightening was inside of him, trapped and skirting along the inside of his skin, traveling through his veins in small bursts trying to find an escape.  It was powerful, it was terrifying.

_Don't you see, Haru?_

Haruka had shoved Kisumi back and screamed at him, calling him a heretic and a witch over his shoulder as he ran away.  Now he knew what ailed him.  What weighed him down.  A witch's curse and deception.  False friendship and smooth manipulation.  Kisumi had lied to him and Makoto and now Haruka paid for it.

That day was the day 8 year old Haruka stood tall and declared to his best friend that he would become a hunter.  He wanted to rid the world of evil that was cast upon him, that had slithered its way inside of him.  He wanted to be free.

* * *

"...Rin?"

Moonlight illuminated the mouth of the cave and cast trees in silhouette against the opening.  Nitori couldn't see around him inside the cave, but he didn't mind.  The darkness felt like a security blanket.  He squinted his eyes, although he knew it would do nothing to enhance his vision in the dim moonlight, and stared at the cave's entrance.  His eyes flew open when he heard a shuffling from somewhere outside of the cave, the same noise he swore woke him up.

"Rin, wake up."

Rin grabbed his hand, already awake and listening.  "Quiet."

The two sat there, their bodies on high alert, and soon enough there were unmistakable footsteps right outside the cave's mouth.  Nitori wanted to shrink back instinctively but his body was frozen in fear.  This was it.  This is where they got caught and dragged out to their deaths.  He squeezed Rin's hand, their palms sweaty and all too cold at the same time.

However, no one entered the cave.  Nitori strained his ears for any sound, strained his sight for any movement, but he saw nothing and only heard the footsteps that one instance, and then silence.  Perhaps it could have been an animal or perhaps the mouth of their cave was small enough to go unnoticed.  Somehow, not knowing what had lurked outside was scarier than if hunters had rushed in to grab them in the dark.

The two witches sat in utter silence, not daring to breath louder than their own heartbeats, until sunlight slowly dispersed throughout the darkness, dissolving the nighttime and their fears.  Rin unwound their cramped fingers and Nitori cradled his hands to his chest, rubbing at his sore muscles.  He was cold and stiff.

"Love, come here."

Rin took Nitori's hands in his own and breathed into them, warming them with his breath.  He ran his hands along Nitori's arms in an attempt to get blood flowing and distribute warmth.

"We need to move.  Staying here is too risky."

The two of them crawled forward on their hands and knees until they reached the opening.  Rin crawled out first, Sharktooth by his side, and then he helped Nitori out ignoring as Miku whipped by his head to stretch her wings in the morning sky.  Nitori stretched and heard his bones crack satisfyingly.  Rin was looking around, scoping the area for any signs of hunters.

"I can't see any footprints or broken branches.  If it was hunters we heard last night then they're good at covering up their tracks, or not making any tracks to begin with."

Rin's brow was furrowed in thought but Nitori could see how tired and scared he looked.

"So... What do we do?  Where should we go?"  Nitori felt so clueless and helpless.  How Rin could cover his true feelings under his stoic leadership was beyond Nitori's understanding.  Still, knowing that Rin was scared but stayed strong for him made Nitori want to be strong too.

Rin looked at the rising sun and hummed.  "Well, we need to move south.  I know there are less villages and more woods for coverage.  However..."

Nitori tilted his head.  "However?"

"I'm afraid the hunters will predict that move on our part.  Also there isn't a lot of resources there.  We won't have much to eat, if anything at all."

Nitori's stomach grumbled in response but he shook his head.  "If that's what we must do, then that's what we do."

Rin nodded and started to walk and Nitori followed.

* * *

Haruka sat in the water basin in the lodge's washroom.  Steam drifted up around his shoulders and he sighed as the soothing heat caressed him, encouraging him to relax.

"Haru?"  Makoto cracked open the washroom's door and peeked in.  Shinju, Makoto's cat, darted in pushing the door open.  "Ah, figured you were in here.  Shinju wanted to come in."  Shinju was a white cat Makoto found as a kitten on an old lady's doorstep.  The old lady said it wasn't hers and wanted nothing to do with the cat, which she claimed was an unholy spirit.  Makoto was a child at the time, young enough to not have village superstition stamped into his brain, as malleable and impressionable as it was.  He knew cats were supposed to be evil or vessels for spirits, but how could something so cute and helpless possibly do anyone any harm?  Makoto's heart was big and he brought the mewling kitten home and made Haruka promise to keep her a secret.  He named her Shinju after her white fur, as pure and beautiful as one could be.  Haruka was wary of her for years, but slowly came around when he realized Shinju was more interested in laying in sun patches than cursing him.  Makoto loved to point out how Haruka and Shinju had the same eyes, blue and clear as water.  Haruka never liked to look in Shinju's eyes for that exact reason.

Makoto strode in and closed the door behind him.  "Do you need help washing?"

Haruka shook his head and sank lower into the basin.  Shinju paced back and forth, rubbing her side along the basin, meowing at Haruka until the hunter stuck out a hand and let her lick some water droplets off his fingers.

"Ah, just soaking then.  Do you mind if I read some passages to you?"  Makoto pulled out his book of Divinity and waited for Haruka's answer.  When Haruka shook his head again at the priest, Makoto smiled and thumbed open the book.  Haruka closed his eyes and let his friend's calming voice soothe him, his words resonating throughout the washroom and blanketing him with security.

"Haru?  You should get dressed now.  The water's gone cold and you might fall sick."

Haruka cracked an eye and then reclosed it, ignoring his friend's worries.  Water would never get him sick, that was such a silly concept.  Hands appeared under his arms lifting him.  His eyes flew open to see Makoto hauling him up and he placed his hands on Makoto's shoulders to steady himself.  The cool air met his wet skin and goose bumps formed, peppering his arms.  A towel wrapped around his shoulders and another placed on his head.  Makoto helped him step out of the basin, shooing Shinju away as he did so, and continued to towel Haruka off.

"Sometimes I wish you weren't a priest."

Makoto stilled for a second before laughing and resuming his work, patting the towel down Haruka's body.  "Why's that, Haru?"

"So I could kiss you."

Makoto blinked a few times then looked up at his friend from where he knelt before him, the towel held to Haruka's stomach.  Haruka stared down at him with no traces of humor or embarrassment in his face.

"O-oh."  Makoto smiled, although it was weak and he averted his gaze to the towel in his hand but didn't move to dry Haruka.  " _Oh._ "  He closed his eyes and hung his head, smiling sadly and breathing out a laugh.  Haruka ran a hand through Makoto's hair and the two stayed like that until Shinju interrupted them with a squeaky chirp and a head-butt to Makoto's knee.  Haruka turned away and dressed in his clothes, leaving Makoto kneeling on the floor.  Makoto scratched Shinju under her chin and sighed.  He stood and scooped Shinju up, tucking her to his chest and nuzzling her head.

"I'll be in my quarters.  Good night, Haru."

Haruka closed his eyes and hummed.  "I'm going on a solo hunt tonight.  I'll see you in the morning."  He turned to face Makoto.  His friend's eyes were shimmering with something Haruka recognized as resigned worry, deep green and much too easy to read.

"Please be safe, Haru."

Haruka turned away and didn't answer, gathering his towel up and reaching in the basin to drain its water.

* * *

Night fall came fast and merciless.  Although the darkness was a good cover, it was also an inhibiter.  If Nitori and Rin could hide in it, so could hunters.  It all came down to who had the better eyes and the better ears.  The wiser brains.  Nitori knew they were outnumbered.  There were at least three hunters and one priest.  But he still held to Rin's robes and followed him, determined to stick it out to the very end.  He watched the setting sun and vowed he would never give up.

Miku landed in a tree branch above them with a mangled piece of bloody meat and dug into her meal.  Nitori scrunched his nose but his stomach growled despite the unappetizing sight.  Miku cawed and stilled, staring at him for a moment then returned to ripping into the flesh with her sharp beak.

"Sometimes I wonder how you ended up with a crow for a familiar."  Rin smirked and side eyed him.  "A small fuzzy bunny or something would be more fitting than her."

Miku squawked at Rin's words, ruffling up her feathers but otherwise making no move to leave her perch and food.  Nitori shrugged.

"I suppose I'm not the cute fuzzy bunny you interpret me to be," Nitori paused, "Although, I do sometimes wonder about it myself.  But Miku has always been mine and I wouldn't ever want anything else.  She's perfect.  She can fly so high and for so long.  So many times when I was locked in my room I'd just watch from my window and wish I was her stretching my wings, feeling the wind through my feathers.  She's so smart and so free."  Miku finished her meal and swooped down to land on Nitori's forearm, her feet and beak bloody.  Nitori smiled.  "And she's brave enough to be harsh and cruel in order to survive."

Nitori looked up at Rin and smiled.  "I'm not a harsh and cruel person, look at me," Nitori pointed to his scar.  "But Miku is.  And look at how wonderful she is."

Rin looked at the bird and shrugged.  He supposed Miku was wonderful if Nitori said so, but he didn't like how the damn thing always tried to pull out his hair when he kissed Nitori.

"I don't think she likes me very much."

"She does.  Trust me, you'd know if she didn't like you."

"Then why doesn't she let me kiss you?  Or why does she always bother Sharktooth?"

Nitori giggled.  "Rin, she's just being a little brat.  Not all of us can be pushovers like me."

"Hey, you're not a pushover, don't say that--"

A sharp snap behind them made them whirl around.  Rin cursed under his breath and Nitori felt his heart rate pick up.  Miku ducked her head low and fluttered open her wings, hissing.  Nothing was there, but Nitori could feel someone present.  Rin stepped in front of Nitori and Nitori turned around, pressing his back to Rin's.  He held Miku up in front of him and used her body language as cues where to look.  Miku had her gaze trained on one tree.

"Rin someone's here."  Nitori peered up into the branches and almost missed the dark figure dart out of sight.  "Rin!  I saw someone in that tree."

Rin whipped around and stared, his eyes going wide when the same shadowy figure reappeared, jumping out from the branches above them.

"Fuck, _run._ "

It was difficult to run in the ebbing sunset, there hardly being a sunset left at all.  It was too dark to see far enough in front of him, but Rin gripped his hand in a vice hold and guided him along.  There wasn't time to trip and fall because their steps were too fast, too many, and stumbles were saved only by taking more steps and pulling each other up.  Miku had flown out over the woods and into the sky.  Nitori knew she was safe on her own, away from the shadow that was hot on their heels in the trees above them.

Nitori slammed into Rin's back and stumbled back clutching his nose, the warm, sticky feeling of blood dripping out and over his lips.  Rin stood still and took a step backwards.  Nitori peeked around Rin and gasped, his heart dropping as he saw the hunter not even three feet in front of them.  The hunter wore all black to blend into the night, and only his eyes were exposed, which reflected a deep blue in the moonlight.  Rin pushed Nitori back and before Nitori could register what Rin was doing, Rin was on the hunter.  The hunter moved like black ink, quick and liquid, and slipped out of Rin's grasp.  He skirted around Rin and lunged at Nitori, tucking them both into a roll and then was off his feet and gliding through the woods with Nitori over his shoulder.  Nitori twisted and thrashed, bringing his fists down on the hunter's back, but to no avail.  He saw Rin chasing them and he reached out calling to him.  As soon as Rin's name left his lips he felt a surge and threw his body weight to the side and sunk his fingers into the hunter's face, tearing and scratching at the fabric.  The hunter didn't stop but he slowed his pace and Rin barreled into them, pinning the hunter down.  A flash of metal was all the warning Nitori saw before a small blade sunk into Rin's shoulder.

" _No!  How dare you!"_

Nitori wasn't sure what got into him but the sight of Rin hurt snapped something inside of him.  He jumped on the hunter before he could squirm out from underneath Rin's slackening hold.

" _No, no, no!"_ Nitori brought his fists down as hard as he could.  He dodged the blade by mere chance and screamed through grit teeth as he rained blow after blow onto the hunter's head and shoulders.  Rin was able to wrestle the blade off the hunter and even managed to snatch the second, larger knife the hunter seemingly pulled out of thin air.  A clothed fist connected with Nitori's face and he was thrown back, pain thrumming through his eye.  Bursts of colorful lights obscured his vision and no matter how hard he tried to sit up and help Rin, he couldn't blink away the dizziness.  He couldn't tell which way was up or down.  He felt like a fish out of water; only able to flop around in panic despite the urgency to survive.

"Rin, I can't see... I can't see!"  He felt tears fall down the left side of his face and was slightly aware of the dirt pressed against his face going up his bloody nose and into his mouth.  He tried to listen to Rin and the hunter's fight but couldn't focus.  He thought of his will to fight and how strong it was only moments before, just to be stomped out with one blow.  He was pathetic, he was a joke.  He offered the universe no higher purpose, he only existed to be killed.  Swatted away like an annoying insect.  Rin was wrong about him, Rin was so wrong.  Nitori laughed.  What a fool Rin was to believe in someone like him.

A squawk broke through the forest, echoing and demanding.  Nitori sighed and then smiled.  _Miku_.  Soft feathers surrounded him, batting against him gently, and then he was falling.  It was windier than Nitori ever experienced in his life and when he breathed in, Nitori's lungs expanded with air that was colder and crisper than he'd ever tasted before.  He opened his eyes and was met with the sight of the night sky, glittering with countless stars.  Trees blurred by below him and he stretched his wings, slicing through air to dance with the wind.  He screamed, a loud, cackling caw, as he pressed his wings flat against his body and dove into the woods.  He saw himself laying in the dirt, blood drying under his nose and a bruise around his left eye.  He saw Rin, his sleeve soaked with blood and his sharp teeth bared.  He saw the hunter rolling on the forest floor with Rin and his blood boiled.  Sharp talons shredded black cloth and a strong beak ripped out chunks of hair.  Blood touched his tongue and he swallowed as he flew through the trees into the sky.  The coppery, metallic taste coated his throat and he circled before diving down for more.  It was exhilarating, it was amazing.  It was freedom.

* * *

"Hey, Ai.  Wake up."

Nitori groaned as he was gradually pulled into consciousness.  His throat was dry and his head felt like it had been trampled by a horse.  He blinked away the sleep and blurry blobs of light and shadows became clear objects.

"Rin!  I can see!"  He threw his arms around Rin and sobbed into his chest.  "I thought I went blind!"  He pulled back and looked at Rin, his smile falling when he saw the stab wound.  "Rin, are you okay?  Where is the hunter?"  Nitori looked around and realized they were both back at Rin's cottage.  "Rin?  Why are we here?"

"Love, one question at a time."  Rin sat down on the edge of the bed.  "I'll be okay once we clean it out and stitch it up.  But that's not the issue right now."  Rin grinned, a large cheshire smile, and leaned towards Nitori.  "We caught the hunter.  The famous Nanase Haruka."

"...What? Nanase...?"  Nitori looked around again.  "Where?  How?"

"Thank your bird."

"Miku?  ...Oh!  Rin!  I saw through Miku's eyes!  Miku attacked the hunter!"

Rin nodded.  "And that gave me a chance to knock him out.  He's in the trap door."

"Trap door?"

Rin motioned towards the large chest at the foot of his bed.  "It sits on a trap door.  Under the trap door is a small space.  A well, if you will, only not as deep and no water.  Perfect size to keep a hunter."

"You... stuffed the most intelligent, dangerous hunter in a small dirt hole under your house!?"

Rin rubbed the back of his neck.  "When you say it like _that_ it sounds bad--"

"Because it is!"

" _No_ , he's tied up, gagged, and when he wakes up he'll be in confined space that's completely dark.  We aren't in danger."

"The other hunters are going to look for him!  You put a target right on our backs!"

"Ai, love, _darling_ \--"

" _Rin!_ "

"Quit worrying.  Let them come.  We have their best hunter!  What are they going to do?  They threaten us and we threaten to kill the bastard.  Fight fire with fire."  Rin smirked and his eyes seemed ablaze with giddiness.  Nitori smiled and let himself relax, breathing out and holding his heart.

"Okay, you're right.  We're okay.  We have the hunter under our control now.  We have an advantage over the hunters."

Miku swooped in through the window and sat on the chest that covered the trap door.  Sharktooth jumped up next to her and tucked her tail around her paws.

"We're okay, love.  Now let's clean this damn wound.  It fucking hurts."

"Right."

"And then we can have something to eat."

Nitori nodded enthusiastically.  "Right!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please excuse any typos.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is like, less than half the length of previous chapters but whatever. Enjoy!

When Nitori woke up his skull felt like it was about to crack, his brain swollen and pounding against it.  The swelling around his eye had gone down but the swelling on his nose had gone up.  He ran his fingers gingerly along the bridge of it, wincing.  It didn't feel broken, at least.  Rin was curled around him, snoring open mouthed and drooling on the pillow.  He was so warm, his skin radiating heat as if he had just stood close to a fire pit, or laid in the sun for a period of time.  Nitori smiled and brushed stray bangs off his forehead and tucked them behind his ear.  He would never stop admiring Rin's crimson hair, its beauty was almost too much for him to handle ( _how blessed was he to be in such a presence_ ).  He sat up and stretched, then nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed the two cats sitting at the food of the bed.  One was Sharktooth, which was no surprise, but the other was a cat he'd never seen before.  It was solid white with not another fleck of color on it and had piercing blue eyes.  Both cats sat on the storage chest like twins, day and night, and stared at Nitori, unblinking.

"Hey... Rin?"

Rin grunted but otherwise didn't stir.  Nitori nudged him.  "Rin, wake up!"

"Ai..."

"There's a cat!  Wake up!"

"Shhh."

Nitori rolled his eye and poked Rin in the cheek.  "Wake up, Rin.  _Now!_ "

He shouted the last word and Rin jumped awake, startled and looking around wildly until his eyes landed on Sharktooth and their visitor.

"What the hell?"

Rin threw the covers off of himself and stalked to the foot of his bed.  The cats turned their heads to follow Rin but didn't budge from their spot.

"Oi, get outta here, shoo."

The cat glared up at him and didn't move.  Sharktooth mewed softly and nudged the white cat with her chin.  The white cat blinked slowly and turned its head, finally shifting its gaze from Rin and sniffing at Sharktooth's nose.  Rin scratched the back of his head.

"Huh.  Odd."

Nitori looked at Rin questioningly.  "Odd?"

"Sharktooth doesn't really pay mind to other cats unless they're..."

Nitori waited as Rin trailed off and then the light bulb clicked on.  "Oh!  This cat is a familiar!"

Rin sighed through his nose and let his hand fall limply to his side.  "Maybe.  But... there aren't any other witches around here.  Especially with hunters on the loose.  No witch would show up  in this village unless they wanted to die."

Nitori chewed his lip for a moment.  "Maybe a witch sent their familiar to us.  Word of my wanted capture has traveled to many villages and I'm sure there are witches who are willing to help."

"T hat would make sense except..." Rin trailed off again and walked around the storage chest.  The cats ignored him, content to purr and snuggle.  "This cat isn't carrying a message, this cat isn't interested in telling us anything.  Sharktooth seems to like it but that doesn't give us any clue as to why it's here."

Miku flew in through the window and landed on a perch besides the bed.  The white cat looked up and stared at the bird, but surprisingly, Miku didn't acknowledge her.

"Now _that's_ odd." Nitori looked at Rin.  "Miku always, _always_ bothers other animals or familiars--" Rin cut in, "or people," Nitori  continued on, not denying Rin's words, "--that come near me."

Rin sat back down on the bed.  "I don't know, Ai.  Nothing we can really do about it right now.  What we _can_ do is change my bandages."

"Right!"

Nitori shuffled off the bed and ran to get clean water and bandages.  After he called Rin to the bathroom and sat him down on the overturned basin, he got to work cleaning and wrapping the stab wound.

"How does it feel?"

"Fucking hurts."

"Poor Rin." Nitori kissed his cheek.

"Love?"

"Yes?"

"I need help with my hair."

Nitori loved when he got to brush Rin's hair.  "Of course!"  Nitori stood behind him and brushed the long strands, contemplating different hairstyles.  He hummed as he ran his fingers along Rin's back, watching the hair separate around his fingers.  Time seemed to disappear as Nitori braided, weaving thin sections and wrapping the ends with silk from the spiders in the garden.  He embellished some braids with amethyst, Rin's birthstone, for clarity of mind, and opal, the current's month's birthstone, for protection against people will ill intent towards him.  How fitting the two gems looked in Rin's hair, the regal rock, in its violet royal glory; everything that Nitori held Rin to be.  And the opal, pearlescent and other worldly, reinforcing Nitori's beliefs that Rin was an angel sent to him.  Nitori twisted the entirety of Rin's hair together and secured it in a bun, lovingly pinning it in place at the nape of Rin's neck, lost in thoughts of his lover until a whiny, high pitched cry from the bedroom interrupted him.

The two cleaned up and reentered the bedroom where the white cat was sitting high and alert, staring at them with large, blue eyes.  Sharktooth had gone off to lay in a patch of sun on the floor.  Miku was ruffled up on her perch, taking a nap.

"Oi, now you're talking?  What do you want?"

The cat leveled Rin with a glare before jumping off the storage chest and sat in front of it, staring daggers into it.

"Oh no, we're not moving the chest so give it up and go on, shoo, go."

The cat looked back at Rin with dark eyes, narrowed into angry slits, and then looked at Nitori and cried out once again.

"Rin, he or she is trying to tell us something.  We can't ignore a familiar!  That's ignoring another witch and we can't do that, it's not right!"

"I'm not moving that chest.  I can't let the hunter escape."

"Rin, we are powerful, we've made it this far.  We are two against one.  I don't think the hunter will over take us now."

Rin stormed up to Nitori, grabbing him by his shoulders.  "Don't be such a fool.  I admire your confidence, but right now we can't take any, _any_ , risks.  I have a stab wound and you look like you were kicked by a horse.  We are not risking it.  Do you understand?"

Nitori shrugged him off.  "No, I don't!  And I won't until I see what the cat has to show us."

"Ai, don't, I'm serious."

Red eyes bore into one blue, until Nitori pushed past him with a scoff.  "Let me make a decision for once.  I can feel it, Rin, this cat wouldn't bring us harm."

"But the hunter will."

Nitori shot Rin one last glare until he knelt down in front of the cat.  Immediately the cat stood up, tail twitching as it stared up at the witch.  Nitori placed his hands flat against the side of the storage chest pausing to gauge the cat's reaction, and when he saw the cat's eyes full with a shimmering light like water reflections on the ceiling, Nitori pushed, revealing the trapdoor.  The cat pawed at the trapdoor's seam, trying to lift it with its paws.  Nitori swallowed and with a nod of his head, mostly to reassure himself, he lifted the door.

"Ai..."

Nitori ignored Rin and peered in.  About seven feet down the hunter sat with his knees pulled to his chest.  Dried blood matted his dark hair and his face was cut up from Miku's attack.  The white cat let out a desperate cry and the hunter snapped his head up, breathing harshly.

"What did you do to the water."

Nitori blinked, confused.  "The water?"  The hunter was in shadow, not enough light reaching in the hole to see clearly, but Nitori saw two piercing blue eyes staring up, bright with panic and completely terrified.

"What.  Did you do?  _What did you do?"_ The hunter's voice fell into a whisper, cracking to reveal just how distraught he was.

Nitori looked over to Rin, who stood with his shoulders tensed and his brow furrowed.  He looked back down in the hole.

"I don't understand."

The hunter held his hands up.  "The water.  What did you do?"  Nitori squinted his eye and could see the light reflecting slightly off water droplets, moving and sliding over the hunter's skin.  "It came up from the ground.  Surrounded me.  It won't stop."

"Rin...?" Nitori was at a complete loss.

Rin walked over and peered in the hole, whistling low.  "That ain't me, love.  You know water and I don't mix."

The two witches stared at each other.  The white cat meowed again.

"Shinju?"

Rin and Nitori gave out twin gasps and stared down into the well.

"Wait, this familiar is _yours?_ " Rin couldn't hide the disbelief from his voice.

The hunter didn't answer.

"Oi." Rin snapped his fingers and a flame appeared.  He lowered his hand into the hole to illuminate the dark, dirt walls.  The hunter stared up in terror, frozen in his spot, his hands still held up in front of him.  The water droplets quickly slid away, as if repelled.  "Got your attention now?"

"The..." The hunter looked at his hands.  "The water is gone.  What...?"  He looked up, tears forming in his eyes , catching the orange glow of the fire above him.  "You!  Why can't you leave me alone!  My whole life!  It's always been your kind!"

"I asked you a question.  Is the cat yours.  Answer me."

Nitori gently took Rin's hand and held it in his own, diminishing the flame.  "Let me, Rin."  Rin stared at him, almost insulted, then he shrugged and backed off.

"Nanase?"

Haruka looked up and Nitori smiled.

"Is this cat yours?  Shinju, was it?"

Haruka looked down and shook his head.  "He's the priest's."

Nitori pressed his lips into a thin line.  "The priest has a familiar?"

"My priest took Shinju in when we were young boys, despite it being heresy.  He had too kind of a heart.  Foolish, if you ask me.  The cat is his."

"Nanase, do you know what a familiar is?"

The hunter didn't answer.  Nitori continued.  "A familiar is a spirit using an animal's body as a vessel.  They are paired with a witch's soul.  A familiar will not exist without a witch.  You say Shinju is the priest's.  Do you think that--"

"Makoto is _not_ a witch.  Don't speak such blasphemy.  You're wrong.  You're telling me lies, I know how your kind is.  Just shut up, shut up, shut up, shut _up_."

Haruka buried his face in his knees and hugged his knees to his chest.

"Nanase, please, listen.  I'm not telling you lies.  Shinju came to find you.  She cares deeply about you.  But I'm telling you, she's a familiar.  She shares her soul with a witch."

"...My whole life... Why can't your kind ever leave me alone... Let me be free."  Haruka's voice was muffled but the brokenness still came through.  It reached Nitori's heart and the witch felt for him.  He shifted away from the trapdoor and looked at Rin helplessly.

"I don't know what to think."

"Shhh, it's okay, my love."  Rin wrapped his arms around Nitori and pressed his lips to his ear, his breath tickling Nitori's skin.  "It's not your fault the most feared hunter in the lands doesn't know he's a witch."

Nitori pulled back and stared at Rin, searching his face for any traces of jest.  "You're... You're serious."

"Deadly."

Nitori looked back to the open trap door, where Shinju sat to keep vigilant.  She blinked slowly at Nitori, deep blue eyes like the rivers on a sunny day, like the hunter's fear-filled watery gaze.  "Well, I'll be damned."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yer a wizard harry


	5. Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here ya go

"Makoto, calm down! I'm sure Haru is fine!" Nagisa lounged on the small bed in their lodging and watched the priest pace.

"No, he went out for a solo hunt last night and he hasn't returned! It's almost afternoon! Something is definitely wrong!"

Nagisa brought his finger to his chin in thought. "Did he say where he was going?"

Makoto shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.  "I have no clue. I have no idea where you go to hunt, I just follow you lodge to lodge."

"Ah, well, Rei and I know where he might have gone.  We can go check out the area after he comes back with lunch."  Nagisa flopped his hand down dramatically.  "You know how I can't do anything without eating!"

Makoto bit his lip and tapped his foot.  Nagisa huffed. "Calm down, Mako.  This is _Haru_ we're talking about. He does his own thing, he has his own agenda.  He's highly respected throughout many towns.  Nothing could have happened to him."

"What if he got hurt though?  What if he broke his foot or fell in a deep ditch or--"

"Ah, Makoto, I've seen Haruka work and I assure you, he is as graceful and beautiful as water with his movement.  Rest assured no harm has come to him."  Rei smiled at the priest as he walked into the room and placed down a basket with food from the market.  "So please, eat some lunch and try to calm down."

Makoto paused and then shook his head, laughing lightly.  "I'm sorry.  I get nervous.  I just don't know what I would do if anything happened to him."

Nagisa bound up to the table and grabbed a slice of bread and started piling up cheeses and meats.  Makoto sat down and took an orange, peeling it with shaking fingers.  After a moment of silent consideration, Makoto reassured himself. "You're right," his tone wasn't too confident but he still gave Nagisa and Rei a small smile, "Haru is very strong he wouldn't have hurt himself.  No one would have hurt him, either.  It's not like the witches themselves could actually do anything to him... Right?"

Nagisa laughed around a mouthful of food.  "Makoto! Now you're just being ridiculous!"

Rei smiled and pushed up his glasses.  "I do have to agree, Makoto.  Witches grow weak at the mere mention of Haruka's name.  Besides, this witch we're looking for is a small, weak thing.  Could even be long dead from blood loss or infection.  So worry not, the idea of Haru being taken down by witches is the most absurd theory I've ever heard."

* * *

"You have a death wish."  Rin crossed his arms and glared down at Nitori, who stared defiantly up at him.

"No, I don't. I know what I'm doing." Nitori paused. "I think."

"You think."

Nitori scoffed and looked away, ignoring the dull throb of his swollen nose.  "Well, what else do you suggest I do?"

"Anything but going _down into a small, confined space with a hunter--"_

"Witch."

"Okay, fine, he's a witch, but he's also a hunter and right now he's got the mentality of a trapped animal.  He views us as his enemies and he won't hesitate to kill us.  So no, you're not going down in a dirt hole with him."

"Rin, I have to talk to him!"

"Then talk to him from up here!"

Nitori huffed and then turned around, scooping the white cat up in his arms.  "I'm going in and you can stand around angry all you want, but I'd rather you get me some rope so I can get out when I'm done."

Upon peering into the hole, Nitori saw the hunter was in the same position as he was just moments ago, with his head between his knees.

"Nanase?"  The hunter didn't look up. "Can I come down there?"

That certainly got the hunter's attention, causing him to snap his head up and stare at Nitori in horror.

"No.  N-no.  Don't come near me."

Sadness twanged through Nitori's heart, "Nanase, I'm not going to hurt you, please, we have to talk." Nitori pet Shinju's soft fur.  "If I were a threat she would have warned you by now, but look, she's letting me hold and pet her.  You have to trust her, Nanase.  A familiar would never let harm come to their witch."

Haruka narrowed his eyes.

Nitori sighed as thunder started to rumble in the distance.  He looked out the window and noted dark clouds were rolling in. Turning his attention back to Haruka, Nitori explained gently, "Nanase.  Shinju is your familiar.  You're a witch.  Couldn't you tell when the water was drawn to you?  Can't you feel the energy inside of you?"

"You're lying!" Haruka hissed out through his teeth.  "You were the one tormenting me, you were the one controlling the water, it's _your type_ that have held me hostage my whole life," Haruka breathed out and spoke again softly, "Just make the feeling stop, just leave me alone."

"The feeling?"

Haruka let out a shuddering breath.  "Like I have a storm under my skin.  Like I could burst any moment."

Nitori smiled.  "Don't you see, Nanase?"

\--

Haruka's eyes widened.  He was 8 years old again by the lake with Kisumi, his fingers dipped in the water cupped in Kisumi's hand, watching the droplets travel across his skin as lightening spread through his veins, looking for somewhere to go, trying to find a release, building, and building, and building...

_Don't you see, Haru?_

"I..."  Haruka held his hands up, the rope around his wrists digging into his skin, "I can't see."

"Your eyes are open, Nanase, but you're refusing to look.  Let me come to you, I promise, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Ai, don't."

Haruka tilted his head at the third voice.  The taller witch, the one with the fire, the one who had a closed off heart.  Much like his own.

"Rin, let me do this."

Haruka heard Rin sigh and Ai smiled once more.  It wasn't a threatening smile, it was a small, inviting, calm smile that Haruka couldn't find any ill intent in, no matter how much he wanted it to be there.  To prove that these witches were evil, to prove that he was right in his hatred.  However, Nitori seemed to have an aura about him, like sunshine and a breath of fresh air, and Haruka realized that this young witch was going to get through his walls, whether Haruka wanted him to or not.

He took a deep breath and held it, trying to convince himself the witch must me using some kind of charm to taint his thoughts, to sway his emotions, but at this point, what else was there to do?  Refuse and die in this dark hole, leaving his body to rot under wandering water droplets?  Haruka may have been stubborn but he didn't want to surrender like that.  If he were going to die at the hand of a witch, he wanted to at least have the last word.

His arms got tired from holding his hands up and he let them drop in his lap.  He gave one last look at Nitori's eye, again only finding warmth, and looked down to his lap.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"Help you see."

He nodded his head.

\--

Nitori bit his lip in triumph and looked at Rin from over his shoulder.  Rin's eyes were narrowed, full of distrust and frustration.

"Get me a rope, Rin."

Rin pinched the bridge of his nose but complied, turning to rummage through a closet.  He handed the rope to Nitori who tied it to a leg of the bed.  Shinju climbed up on Nitori's shoulder and balanced shakily as the witch awkwardly lowered himself down into the hole.  He didn't have to slide that far before he felt his feet touch dirt and as soon as they did, Shinju hopped down into Haruka's lap.  Nitori looked up, not surprised to see Rin watching them like a hawk.

"You can take the rope away, Rin."

Rin paused, reluctant to essentially trap his lover with the most deadly witch hunter, then huffed, resigned to Nitori's stubbornness.  "Fine, but I'm staying here and I'm not taking my eyes off you two."

"As if I expected anything less."  Nitori bit his lip again as his gaze settled on Haruka, who still hadn't moved or reacted to Shinju.  The hole was cramped, hardly enough room for Nitori to squat down next to the hunter.  "...Nanase?"  Haruka didn't respond.  Nitori shifted and worried his lip nervously.  The hunter was so close Nitori could hear him breathing.  What if this wasn't the best idea after all?  What if he _did_ just sign his own death certificate?  He shook his head.  Too late now.

He knelt down in the cramped space so he faced Haruka, his legs pressed against the hunter's in the wet dirt.  They were so close, sharing the same air, stagnant and damp between them.  All Haruka had to do was reach out and Nitori would be at his mercy.  His heart pounded in his chest but he didn't let panic grip him, he swallowed it down.  A clap of thunder made him jump, louder than before.  Nitori felt Haruka tense up beside him.

"Nanase, may I see your wounds?"

The hunter nodded.  Nitori pressed his lips into a line and slowly brought his hand up to Haruka's hair, pausing just before touching.  "I... It's okay if I touch?"

A nod.

Nitori ran his fingertips along the part of Haruka's hair, feather light, simply feeling for where Miku had torn through skin.  Haruka's breath stuttered, but he gave no other sign of acknowledgment.

"Your hair is caked in dried blood.  Here."  Nitori unwound his scarf from his neck and held it in both hands.  "I need water."

At that Haruka finally raised his head to meet Nitori's eye.  Sky blue met blue of the ocean and with another clap of thunder, the patter of rain on the cottage's roof began.  The two stared at each other as the rain became a downpour.

"Do you... Do you think you could bring the water in here like you did before?"

Haruka parted his lips and a strangled sound escaped.  He shook his head and averted his gaze.  "I'm not doing anything. It's not me, I'm not a witch."

"You are, though.  It's not a bad thing."

"I'm not."

"Nanase, then how do you explain the water?  Your familiar?  The feeling?"

"A curse."

Nitori had to let out a small laugh at that.  "We can't _curse_ people!  We're not _magic!_ "

Haruka narrowed his eyes at Nitori, untrusting but curious.  "Of course you can curse people."

"I think I would know if I could curse someone!  And trust me, I can't."

"You're lying."

Nitori sighed and shifted his knees.  "Ah, I'm really not though.  I can't curse anyone.  All being a witch means is that you are in touch with all different energies that most can't sense.  I follow the book of Divinity, I always obeyed my parents, but they cut out my eye because it was blue.  I can't curse people with my eyes, or with anything.  Witches aren't real, in the sense that you believe.  People who were scared made that up.  Made us out to be these monsters.  But really, Nanase, we aren't monsters.  We are just people, like me, like you.  We are not evil, in fact, we are _closer_ to Divinity because of it.  I only wish people could understand.  Witches shouldn't be feared."

"I can't be a witch.  They will kill me."

"Who will?"

"My priest and my group."

"You mean the other two hunters?"

Haruka didn't answer.  Nitori leaned closer.  "Nanase, do you really think they would kill you?  They love you, don't they?"

"Not if I'm a witch."

"We wouldn't ever let them."

Haruka looked at Nitori, holding his gaze.  "Why?"

"Because no one deserves to die at the hands of another."

"I tried to kill _you_."

"Ah," Nitori smiled, "You did.  But I forgive you."

"Even if I still believe you should be hanged?"

"Hanged for what?  Having a feeling under my skin?  Just like you do?  Itching, crawling energy that sparks through my body when I touch the earth with my mere fingertips?  Just like you have?  For being born closer to all living creatures and Divinity Itself?  Just like you were?"

Haruka turned his head away.

"Nanase, open your eyes," Nitori reached out towards the hunter, "Look at me?"

Nitori's fingers brushed Haruka's chin and thunder boomed, followed by a force of wind that shook the house, spraying rain through the windows soaking the billowing curtains.  Haruka turned his head and stared at Nitori with wide eyes as wind reached them over seven feet down in their hole, blowing their hair in all directions, and covered Nitori's hand with his own.  It wasn't unlike the feeling when Rin touched him, but the sensation was tenfold, like he was fusing to where his skin touched Haruka's, like the both of them were full of lightening, a current that wouldn't let them separate.

"Ai, what the _fuck_ is happening?!"

Nitori looked up at Rin, his bangs blowing wildly making it hard to see.  Another sharp burst pulsed through him and he snapped his eye back down to see that Haruka had placed his hand on his cheek and was pulling him closer.  Rin's voice was drowned out by the sound of rain and wind and Nitori couldn't look away from Haruka, didn't _want_ to look away.  This feeling was almost addicting, like he had fresh blood flowing throughout his body, pounding in his chest.  He leaned forward and his nose bumped Haruka's.  He gasped and tilted his head and their lips brushed.  It happened all at once; there was a spark, a jolt, and then nothing.  The feeling was gone, the wind stopped, and the rain ceased.  Everything was quiet save for their ragged breathing and their pounding hearts.  They stared at each other, holding each other's faces only inches apart.  Nitori felt Haruka's hand still hot on his cheek and his own fingers twitched in response against Haruka's skin.  He couldn't look away until Rin broke the spell.

"D-Did you just fucking kiss him?!"

Nitori jumped and pulled back, looking up at Rin frantically.  "N-No, I didn't.  That... That was, I don't know what just happened, Rin, he has so much energy a-and--"

"Nitori."

The witch jumped again at hearing his name spoken by Haruka's voice and realized his hand was still on Nitori's cheek.  Haruka's nails dug in as he leaned closer.

" _I see._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy easter if that's your thing


End file.
